Category: HBCA Teleconference

This is an announcement for the Hines Alumni tech teleconferences for July. These are open forum discussions for Veterans with visual impairments to learn more and share their experiences related to tech. The Hines Alumni tech teleconferences will occur:

iDevices and GPS Users

Tuesday, July 4

1000 AM Central Time

(800) 767-1750, ext 44125

Windows Computer Users

Thursday, July 6

1000 AM Central Time

(800) 767-1750, ext 44125

If you have any difficulties entering the conference room, please dial 0 for the Operator.
The conference call will begin promptly at 1000 (10:00 a.m., and you are asked to start entering the conference room at 0950 (9:50 a.m.). The conference call will conclude at 1120 (11:20 a.m.). This is Central Standard Time.

Please direct your questions or answers to the Moderator of the call so the Moderator can properly identify you for the continuation of your questions/answers. You are asked to not speak over or interrupt a fellow Blinded Veteran who is providing a question or providing an answer to a question. Participants are asked to limit their questions to 2 and with time permitting at the end of the conference call, you may ask additional questions. You are also asked to do a star 6 to mute out any and all background noise, then if you have a question star 6 again and give your name to the recognized moderator.

Hines Alumni and Blind Not Alone compile and maintain this list of tech and assistive tech resources for visually impaired Veterans. Please send any corrections or additions through the Contact Us page.

Conference Calls

Blind Vet Tech Monthly Tech Talk meets the third Thursday of each month at 1900 Central Time

One on One Coaching

Hines Alumni and Blind Vet Tech are proud to offer on demand coaching sessions. If interested, send an email indicating what you wish to receive coaching on, your computer’s set up, and available times to presidentofThehinesalumni@gmail.com or info@blindnotalone.com. Both provide coaching and mentoring for using iPhones and iPads, while the Hines Alumni focus on Windows based computers and Blind Vet Tech on Apple MacOS computers.

If you are a VA Blind Rehab Services VIST or BROS interested in securing assessment or AT training for a Veteran, contact info@blindnotalone.com, for details about our VA contracting services or additional resources.

For an informal group discussion, we have a ‘virtual bar’ that meets on SKYPE. The group meets whenever the need arises. Any drinks from coffee to tequila are permitted.

Youtube

This is an announcement for the Blind Vet Tech Monthly MacOS Talk for March 9th. March’s talk will focus on office and productivity solutions for home and business usage. The two leading suites include Apple iWork’s, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, and Mail; and Microsoft Office 365, Word, Excel, Power Point, and Outlook. Both are fully accessible with Voice Over and Zoom, offering visually impaired individuals true choice.

This calls participation details are:

Thursday, March 9th

1900 Central Time

(866) 820-9940

Stay Informed

Stay up to date with the latest news and announcements from the Blind Vet Tech team, by doing one of the following:

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act established the core accessibility requirements for electronic and digital informational technologies for Federal, state, and similar entities. Originally established in 1986, the regulations received only two updates. The 1998 update established requirements for items like federal and state websites, web-based services, and other items based on the type of technology. The href=”http://blindvettech.blindnotalone.com/tremendous-victory-for-digital-accessibility-advocates/”>Information and Communications Technologies Refresh redefined web accessibility requirements by adopting the Web Accessibility Initiative’s guidelines and reclassifying technology categories based on their function.

The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) is a collective of industry leaders, disability advocates, and governmental representatives under the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The aim is to establish a fluid set of accessibility guidelines for the world wide web and anything interacting with it. This becomes more important as devices, like smart phones, wearables, and VR/AR, change how we interact with not just the world wide web by the greater internet. Without a baseline set of accessibility recommendations, we as disabled consumers would be lost.

Both Section 508 and the WAI struggle in one area, what does accessibility and usability mean. Yes, something may be completely accessible but not usable, demonstrating the objective versus subjective nature of the debate. In the comment fields below, what does accessibility and usability mean to you?

The href=”http://blindvettech.blindnotalone.com/tremendous-victory-for-digital-accessibility-advocates/”>Information and Communications Technologies Refresh pulls these three items together and redefines Section 508, Section 255 of the communications act, and so much more. The US Access Board overseen this update, presenting the update in January 2017 with an publication date in March 2017. Federal and State entities have until January2018 to release their updated policies and bring their services into compliance.

Thank you for listening to the Blind Vet Tech News Update. The focus on Section 508, WAI, accessibility versus usability, and the ICT Refresh provided an overview of the accessibility menace in the evolving digital world.

Stay Informed

Stay up to date with the latest news and announcements from the Blind Vet Tech team, by doing one of the following:

This is an announcement for March’s Hines Blind Center Alumni tech related teleconferences. These are open forum discussions for Veterans with visual impairments to learn more and share their experiences related to tech. The Hines Blind Center Alumni tech teleconferences will occur:

iDevices and GPS Users

Tuesday, March 7th

1000 AM Central Time

(800) 767-1750, ext 44125

Windows Computer Users

Thursday, March 2nd

1000 AM Central Time

(800) 767-1750, ext 44125

If you have any difficulties entering the conference room, please dial 0 for the Operator.
The conference call will begin promptly at 1000 (10:00 a.m., and you are asked to start entering the conference room at 0950 (9:50 a.m.). The conference call will conclude at 1120 (11:20 a.m.). This is Central Standard Time.
We will observe the Roberts Rules of Order. Please direct your question or answer to the Moderator of the call so the Moderator can properly identify you for the continuation of your question/answer. You are asked to not speak over or interrupt a fellow Blinded Veteran who is providing a question or providing an answer to a question. Participants are asked to limit their questions to 2 and with time permitting at the end of the conference call, you may ask additional questions. You are also asked to do a star 6 to mute out any and all background noise, then if you have a question star 6 again and give your name to the recognized moderator.

As February draws near, the latest Hines Blind Center Alumni’s tech teleconferences draws right behind it. This month features Larry Lewis of the VA’s Section 508 Team on both the iOS and GPS users, and the Windows computer users teleconferences. If you ever wonder how the VA ensures compliance with federal accessibility requirements for any type of digital or electronic content or interface, this is the call for you. If you are new to the terms, Section 508 and accessibility, review the Blind Vet Tech Monthly Tech Talk’s January’s session summary. Even the most advance screen reader and magnifier user would not be able to access many websites, if not for regulations and guidelines like Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act or the accessibility guidelines from the World Wide Web Consortium.

The Hines Blind Center Alumni tech teleconferences will occur:

iDevices and GPS Users

Tuesday, February 7th

1000 AM Central Time

(800) 767-1750, ext 44125

Windows Computer Users

Thursday, February 2nd

1000 AM Central Time

(800) 767-1750, ext 44125

If you have any difficulties entering the conference room, please dial 0 for the Operator.
The conference call will begin promptly at 1000 (10:00 a.m., and you are asked to start entering the conference room at 0950 (9:50 a.m.). The conference call will conclude at 1120 (11:20 a.m.). This is Central Standard Time.
We will observe the Roberts Rules of Order. Please direct your question or answer to the Moderator of the call so the Moderator can properly identify you for the continuation of your question/answer. You are asked to not speak over or interrupt a fellow Blinded Veteran who is providing a question or providing an answer to a question. Participants are asked to limit their questions to 2 and with time permitting at the end of the conference call, you may ask additional questions. You are also asked to do a star 6 to mute out any and all background noise, then if you have a question star 6 again and give your name to be recognized by the moderator.

This is an announcement for the January 3rd Hines Blind Center Alumni iDevices and GPS users teleconference. The holiday season is a time for all of us to share with our friends and families, and there is no better way to achieve this goal then by joining your fellow Veterans on the HBCA monthly iDevices and GPS teleconference. The details for the call are:

Tuesday, January 3rd

1000 AM Central Time

(800) 767-1750, ext 44125

If you have any difficulties entering the conference room, please dial 0 for the Operator.
The conference call will begin promptly at 1000 (10:00 a.m., and you are asked to start entering the conference room at 0950 (9:50 a.m.). The conference call will conclude at 1120 (11:20 a.m.). This is Central Standard Time.
We will observe the Roberts Rules of Order. Please direct your question or answer to the Moderator of the call so the Moderator can properly identify you for the continuation of your question/answer. You are asked to not speak over or interrupt a fellow Blinded Veteran who is providing a question or providing an answer to a question. Participants are asked to limit their questions to 2 and with time permitting at the end of the conference call, you may ask additional questions. You are also asked to do a star 6 to mute out any and all background noise, then if you have a question star 6 again and give your name to be recognized by the moderator.

Blinded Veterans new to I Devices will have an opportunity to have their questions answered first.
Please share this information with other Blinded Veterans as the information we share on the conference call can be very helpful.
call.

Stay Informed

Stay up to date with the latest news and announcements from the Blind Vet Tech team, by doing one of the following: